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〃Good lord； that's better than twenty percent。〃
〃Another reason the Cuban people detest the Russians；〃 Brogan continued。 〃Castro is like a drowning man； sinking between a leaking rowboat whose crew is pointing a gun at him and a luxury yacht whose passengers are waving champagne bottles。 If we throw him the rope； the crew in the Kremlin will blast him。〃
〃Actually； they're planning on blasting him anyway；〃 Emmett added。
〃Do we have any idea how or when the assassination will take place？〃 asked the President。
Brogan shifted in his chair uneasily。 〃Our sources have been unable to turn up a timetable。〃
〃Their security on the subject is as tight as anything I've ever seen；〃 said Mercier。 〃Our puters have failed to decode any data from our space listening systems tuned to the operation。 Only a few bits and pieces that fail to give us a concrete fix on their plans。〃
〃Do you know who is in charge of it？〃 the President persisted。
〃General Peter Velikov； GRU； considered something of a wizard at third…world government infiltration and manipulation。 He was the architect of the Nigerian overthrow two years ago。 Fortunately； the Marxist government he set up didn't last。〃
〃Is he operating out of Havana？〃
〃He's secretive as hell；〃 replied Brogan。 〃The perfect image of the man who isn't there。 Velikov hasn't been seen in public in the past four years。 We're dead certain he's directing the show from a hidden location。〃
The President's eyes seemed to darken。 〃All we have here is vague theory that the Kremlin plans to assassinate Fidel and Raul Castro； fix the blame on us； then take over the government using Cuban stooges who receive their orders straight from Moscow。 e now； gentlemen； I can't act on what…ifs。 I need facts。〃
〃It's a projection based on known facts；〃 Brogan explained heavily。 〃We have the names of the Cubans who are on the Soviet payroll and waiting on the sidelines to assume power。 Our information fully supports the Kremlin's intent to murder the Castros。 The CIA makes the perfect scapegoat because the Cuban people have not forgotten the Bay of Pigs or the agency's fumbling plots to assassinate Fidel by the Mafia during the Kennedy administration。 I assure you； Mr。 President； I have given this every priority。 Sixty agents on every level in and out of Cuba are concentrating on penetrating Velikov's wall of secrecy。〃
〃And yet we can't reach Castro for an open dialogue to help each other。〃
〃No； sir；〃 said Oates。 〃He's resisting any contact through official channels。〃
〃Doesn't he realize his time may be running out？〃 asked the President。
〃He's wandering in a vacuum；〃 Oates replied。 〃On one hand he feels secure in knowing the great mass of Cubans idolize him。 Few national leaders can mand the awe and affection he enjoys from his people。 And yet on the other； he cannot fully prehend the dead seriousness of the Soviet threat on his life and government。〃
〃So what you're telling me；〃 said the President gravely； 〃is that unless we can make an intelligence breakthrough or get someone into Castro's hideout who can make him listen to reason； we can only sit back and watch Cuba sink under total Soviet domination。〃
〃Yes； Mr。 President；〃 said Brogan。 〃That is exactly what we're telling you。〃
Hagen was doing some browsing。 He wandered through the mall of the shopping center； casually eyeing the merchandise in the stores。 The smell of roasted peanuts reminded him that he was hungry。 He stopped at a gaily painted wagon and bought a bag of roasted cashews。
Resting his feet for a few minutes； Hagen sat on a couch in an appliance store and watched an entire wall of twenty television sets all tuned to the same channel。 The pictures showed an hour…old rerun of the space shuttle Gettysburg as it lifted off from California。 Over three hundred people had been launched into space since the shuttle's first flight in 1981； and except for the news media； nobody paid much attention anymore。
Hagen wandered up and down； pausing to gawk through a large window at a disk jockey spinning records for a radio station that was located in the mall。 He rubbed shoulders with the crowds of female shoppers； but he concentrated on the occasional man。 Most seemed to be on their lunch break； probing the counters and racks； usually buying the first thing they saw； in contrast to the women； who preferred to keep searching in the forlorn hope they could find something better at a cheaper price。
He spotted two men eating submarine sandwiches at a fast…food restaurant。 They were not carrying any purchase bags； nor were they dressed like store clerks。 They wore the same casual style as Dr。 Mooney at the Pattenden Lab。
Hagen followed them into a large department store。 They took the escalator down to the basement； passed through the shopping area； and entered a rear hallway marked with a sign that read 〃Employees Only。〃
A warning bell went off inside Hagen's head。 He returned to a counter stacked with bed sheets； removed his coat； and stuck a pencil behind one ear。 Then he waited until the clerk was busy with a customer before picking up a pile of sheets and heading back into the hallway。
Three doors led to stock rooms； two to restrooms； and one was marked 〃Danger…High Voltage。〃 He yanked open the latter door and rushed inside。 A startled security guard sitting at a desk looked up。 〃Hey； you're not supposed to be〃
That was as far as he got before Hagen threw the sheets in his face and judo…chopped him on the side of the neck。 There were two security guards behind a second door； and Hagen put them both down in less than four seconds。 He crouched and whipped around in anticipation of another threat。
A hundred pairs of eyes stared at him in blank astonishment。
Hagen was confronted by a room that seemed to stretch into infinity。 From wall to wall it was filled with people； offices； puter and munications equipment。 For a long second； he stood stunned by the vastness of it all。 Then he took a step forward and grabbed a terrified secretary by the arms and lifted her out of a chair。
〃Leonard Hudson！〃 he snapped。 〃Where can I find him？〃
Fear shone from her eyes like twin spotlights。 She tilted her head to the right。 〃Th…the office w…with the blue d…door；〃 she stammered。
〃Thank you very much；〃 he said with a broad smile。
Hagen released the girl and walked swiftly through the hushed plex。 His face was twisted with malevolence； as if daring anyone to stop him。
No one made the slightest attempt。 The growing crowd of people parted like the Red Sea as he passed down a main aisle。
When he came to the blue door； Hagen stopped and turned around； surveying the brain trust and munications center of the Jersey Colony program。 He had to admire Hudson。 It was an imaginative cover。 Excavated during the construction of the shopping center； it would have attracted little or no suspicion。 The scientists； engineers； and secretaries could e and go amid the shoppers； and their cars simply melted into hundreds of others in the parking lot。 The radio station was also a work of genius。 Who would suspe